Francis knows how to party.

(Alessandro Di Meo/Pool Photo via AP). Pope Francis wears a traditional Mexican sombrero hat he received as a gift by a Mexican journalist aboard the plane during the flight from Rome to Habana, Cuba, on his way to a week-long trip to Mexico, Friday, F...

February 12, 2016

Havana (AP) - The latest on Pope Francis's historic meeting in Cuba (click here) with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill and his subsequent trip to Mexico (all times local):

9:35 p.m.

Crowds of Mexicans are gathered on the streets of their capital to cheer Pope Francis as he drives to the Vatican ambassador's residence.

Waiting for the pontiff to drive by Friday night, 85-year-old Carlos Garcia said he and other Mexicans loved Pope John Paul II and saw him multiple times during his five visits to Mexico. He said they are now ready for this visit by the first Latin American to be pope. In his words, "Mexico really needs the pope's message."

Lawyer Victor Lopez waited with a large silver cross around his neck. He said: "The pope visits a wounded country that needs his words of encouragement."...

Everything old is new again.

February 11, 2016
By Josh Meyer and Abigail Wilson

...The full scope and status of the inquiry, (click here) conducted by the State Department's inspector general, were not clear from the material correspondence reviewed by The Post, the paper said.

The Post, citing people familiar with the subpoena and written correspondence about it, also said the subpoena asked for records related to Hillary Clinton's closest aide, Huma Abedin. It reported that for six months in 2012, she was "employed simultaneously by the State Department, the foundation, Clinton's personal office, and a private consulting firm with ties to the Clintons."...

The Clinton Foundation is a non-profit. It brings parties together with a common interest to improve the quality of life of people globally. It is not unusual for the Clinton Foundation to tap federal or state or local funding. Hillary Clinton or Bill Clinton do not receive bonuses to carry out the arbitration that goes along with bringing people together to serve a common focus.

I am not surprised Huma Abedin worked for many employers, including the US State Department. It is amazing Ms. Abedin was able to balance all of it. She is a very talented woman that has a very good relationship with Secretary Clinton, but, that is the end of it.

I am sure Ms. Abedin was looking for work outside the US State Department as she knew Hillary Clinton was leaving the State Department after President Obama's re-election. 

I already know there was no conflict of interest and no quid pro quo. 

It never ceases to amaze me how ingrained "the practice of mistrust' is to Secretary Clinton's public image. I already know there is nothing there and I have talked to no one and only read the article above. 

The only path she can follow is one of a continued fight for her nomination and the presidency. She should not even discuss the subpoena with anyone. It is the only legal posture, it won't compromise her dialogue and legal standing for the nomination and it will end some hostilities that are only fed with her additional comments. 

This is about the Clinton Foundation, not about the US State Department. I am fairly sure she is not working for the Foundation currently. I suppose the media finding satiation for their sensationalism by defaming Secretary Clinton keeps her off balance enough and is good practice for the challenges of the office. After all, look what happened to President Obama while he was in the White House for eight years. Good practice is a good idea.

There is no doubt about the adverse outcomes of NAFTA. No doubt. Ask GM, they'll tell you and they can point to the impact on their product, too..

July 12, 2011
By Maxwell Strachan

When the North American Free Trade Agreement (click here) was first signed in 1994, proponents said it would eventually create jobs for the U.S. economy.
17 years later, a new report estimates, the American worker only has hundreds of thousands of job losses to show for it.
According to a report by Economic Policy Institute economist Robert Scott, entitled "Heading South: U.S.-Mexico trade and job displacement after NAFTA," an estimated 682,900 U.S. jobs have been "lost or displaced" because of the agreement and the resulting trade deficit.
The historic agreement, signed just three years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, tore down trade barriers between the U.S., Canada and Mexico, making trade and investment easier for businesses without allowing for the cross-border movement of labor. Despite the agreement being considered a boon for Mexico, the country's economy grew only 1.6 percent per capita on average between 1992 and 2007, The New York Times reported in 2009....

Bernie Sanders, whether he realizes it or not, is carrying King's vision of equity for minorities.

...In 1963, blacks (click here) were rapidly gaining more equality in their rights. In most places in the U.S., schools, restaurants and stores were integrated. But even in these places, many black Americans could not buy homes where they pleased, or get good jobs....

The message of income and wealth inequality is not a new message. It was the message of Martin Luther King, Jr. decades ago. He saw the need for more to be done.

The need for uplifting minorities and/or women has never been fought to completion. Lincoln was assassinated not because the Civil War was settled and African Americans could not longer be considered chattel. Lincoln was assassinated because he saw the 'next step' in bringing Black Americans to sincere equality. For Lincoln it was the vote and it wasn't even the vote for Black Women, it was for Black Men.

The struggle for equality was never over for women either. There are still inequalities for minorities and women. So, while Caucasian Bernie Sanders is from a predominantly White Population in Vermont, that does not mean he believes the work for equality for minorities and women is complete. He holds the values of minorities and women within his political aspirations.

Harry Belafonte, while being far more eloquent than I, is absolutely correct. Bernie Sanders is as much a defender of equality for all Americans as anyone.

As far as all these COMPLETELY STUPID free trade agreements, there is no place for them in First World Countries because it destroys its economy and impoverishes it's people. The CEOs that are trying to earn their next bonus at the cost of THE VERY ECONOMIC BASE of the product by cutting wage costs to the company in moving factories to another country (which is a really radical move) is about as STUPID as they come.

The only way it works is when companies build car companies in Mexico while KEEPING their car factories in the USA as well. In that is the clear understanding Mexican workers will improve the Mexican economy while ending trends in impoverishment. But, if a CEO thinks moving to Mexico is beneficial to both the company and Mexico, that is only fooling the Board of Trustees.

Reagan did no one a favor when the stood up to a pilot's union. He only ended the best strategy for maintaining the middle class and the vibrant USA economy. There isn't a free trade agreement today worth the paper it's written on. And don't start about Columbia. It is an agreement that is used by both sides of the Columbian power brokers; the government and FARC and people are still dying.

I want an investigation into Senator Grassley's role in leaking information to the public.

February 11, 2016
By Jazz Shaw

We’ve spent plenty of time here (click here) recently highlighting how difficult it is to fire incompetent or even criminal federal workers (particularly in the VA and the IRS) after they are identified. One of the typical routines which thwart efforts at accountability is the practice of putting workers on administrative leave (almost always with full pay and benefits) while the case is investigated and their union representatives fight tooth and nail to prevent their dismissal. In some cases, workers have remained in this permanent vacation status for years on end.

While I’m not getting my hopes up yet, the Senate moved this week to advance a bill which might finally rein in this process. (Government Executive)

This is a new effort by Senator Grassley to cause different controversy and distraction since he was outed as a leaker at the Democratic debate last night. His leaking is due to a former aide of the Senator now working in the US State Department and cooperating with information to him. This is use of power for politics and it is unethical at the very least.

It is not inflammatory or a lie or an attempt at diminishing human rights.

It is known that when a man is legally married to a wife and he wants to take another according to his faith within a Muslim community, it is done by contract. Either a written and legally binding contract or by a document prepared formally to recognize the union and signed by at least 15 or more members of the community. I have witnessed same and know they exist in the USA. The contracts with innumerable witnesses have a festive art within framing the written contract.

In the USA such a document could be litigated as palimony.

There was an earthquake in Indonesia today. I didn't find a reporting of the quake in the "Jakarta Post." The journalists probably have a degree of difficulty in getting to the quake zone to report. It would be correct to assume there are deaths and injuries with the lack of direct reporting.


The quake is somewhat remote from the long chain of island that is Indonesia.

February 12, 2016
By AFP


A powerful 6.5-magnitude earthquake (click here) struck eastern Indonesia late Friday, but no tsunami warning was immediately issued, US seismologists said.
The earthquake hit at 5:02 pm local time (1002 GMT Friday), the US Geological Survey said, and was centred three kilometres (two miles) east-southeast of Andekantor in the Sumba region at a depth of 30 kilometres.
The Indonesian disaster mitigation agency said there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties....

Nearby Cities (click here)

1. 3km (2mi) ESE of Andekantor, Indonesia
2. 94km (58mi) W of Waingapu, Indonesia
3. 132km (82mi) SSW of Labuhanbajo, Indonesia
4. 145km (90mi) SSE of Bima, Indonesia
5. 688km (428mi) W of Dili, East Timor

Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said he had not been able to contact anyone from the affected area since all communication with West Sumba Regency through satellite phone, mobile phone and radio had been cut off.
He said that the communications infrastructure in the affected area was already limited due to its remote location....

continued...

The worrisome EU.

February 12, 2016
By AP

The European Union (click here) is acknowledging that the overall functioning of the Schengen area of borderless travel "is at serious risk" and says Greece must make further efforts to deal with the migrant crisis at its source.

The EU nations said in a statement that there are "serious deficiencies" to how Greece is protecting its border, which also is an external border of the whole Schengen zone of passport-free travel, and urged Athens to address them.

More than 1 million migrants have entered the EU since the beginning of 2015 and most have come through Turkey and into Greece as they make their way up to European nations like Germany and Sweden.

Several nations have imposed temporary border controls to deal with the crisis and many have criticized Athens.

The peace talks are very important. It should be an enforceable peace so people can return to function in their neighborhoods, realizing the extent the people have to rebuild.

February 12, 2016

By Derek Gatopoulos and Raf Casert

Documents seen by The Associated Press (click here) show that European Union countries are poised to restrict passport-free travel by invoking an emergency rule for two years due to the migration crisis.Each of the 26 countries in the open-travel Schengen Area is allowed to unilaterally put up border controls for a maximum of six months. That limit can be extended for up to two years if a member nation is found to be failing to protect its borders.The documents show that EU policymakers are poised to declare that Greece is failing to sufficiently protect its border. Some 2,000 people are still arriving daily on Greek islands in smugglers' boats from Turkey. A European official showed the documents to the AP on condition of anonymity because the documents are confidential.

The EU needs to act decisively and now to protect their sovereignty. NATO should be tapped to increase forces available should there be a break out of DANGEROUS circumstances in Europe. I state DANGEROUS because the intervention of troops should occur before people die at the hand of radicals.

NATO has already experienced several attacks by radicals of the people of Turkey and France. The issue of migrants coming into the EU is a very real concern. These migrants are not refugees and do not need immediate help for children. The migrants of concern are the young men who are unmarried and willing to take more than one wife if only by contract above that of the laws of the countries within NATO countries.

We have witnessed the importance of placing a natural born child in the USA by parents that carried out murders in a false religious fervor. Not only do I believe immediate threats exist to Europe, but, also the purposeful births of adding numbers among the citizens in Europe to act in the future. I remind Daesh trains their children to be soldiers from the earliest learning years. Also there is the temptation of organizations such as Daesh to join the European democracy and effect cultural genocide.

All the cries for human rights completely ignore all the dangers facing Europe except for the IMMEDIATE time. Some of these cries for compassion are misplaced when realizing the danger to Europe. The answer to these problems do not exist in receiving immigrants so much as returning them to their countries of origin with a peace agreement.

The EU and other countries need to examine their allowance of becoming a citizen past a refugee crisis. Those immigrating from countries experience civil war are not legitimate for the conversion to a citizen and their children as well. It is a problem. Europe have strong cultures and ethnicities. There are genocide provisions today that protect culture and ethnicities from dilution of any genetic pool.

It is up to Europe to recognize the INTENT of these young men on growing a new Islamic culture of violence within the populations of Europe and act against it with resolutions of the United Nations Security Council.

The times in which we live today insults civilization on a regular basis. Civilization cannot be sacrificed for compassion when the intent is to create a new culture of violence to create instability in civil wars in the future. The example of San Bernardino is legitimate and should be taken seriously as an example of such bizarre actions of parents.

The symbolism could not be more clear. The film is released for viewing today, Lincoln's actual birthday.

Lincoln’s Birthday celebrates the birthday of Abraham Lincoln, one of the most popular presidents in United States history...February 12. (click here)

I don't believe him. He has been asleep at the switch during the attacks in France and in Bernardino.

First FBI's Comey comes out that his Swiss Army Knife can't decipher a phone encryption and now Clapper is at the Congress stating that Deash will strike in the USA.

At least Comey has a real phone, what does Clapper have beside a broadly painted brush stroke idea of fear and terror  in the USA.

WHERE IS THE PROOF!

He and Comey want the American people passing a new Patriot Act that takes the power from the telecommunication companies and puts it back in the hands of men that have no success in ending violence in the USA, anyway.

Clapper here is a clue. There are too many guns on the street and it would not be difficult for Daesh illegally entering the country and find firearms to spawn their killing spree.

Oh.

One other question.

Whatever happened to the attacks promised by Deash to Great Britain?

Clapper is a pathological liar and THAT IS A FACT. He perjured himself to Congress and he is still in the job. What kind of power does Clapper hold over Congress and the President that he is still in his job! It was perjury. It is a fact. What is the issue already?